


Two Quaint Plebeians

by immxrtalbi



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angst, Betrayal, Dark Magic, Denial of Feelings, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, More tags to be added, Slow Burn, Swordfighting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:13:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25062928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/immxrtalbi/pseuds/immxrtalbi
Summary: As he left the great hall, Tom rested against the wall in the hallway. His heart was thumping wildly and his breathing just wouldn't stop. Oh lord. He placed his hand over his heart to try to calm it down. Tom was supposed to be an emotionless knight. Love wasn't in his system. He took an oath to protect the king and not to fall in love with anyone other than his duties.But, by gods... No one had ever made a heartwarming impression like Harry had done. Tom raised his hand—the one Harry kissed—and closed his eyes as he clenched his hand.Under any circumstances, Tom could not fall in love.Not when he had other plans to take care of.(on hiatus)
Relationships: Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Harry Potter/Tom Riddle
Comments: 3
Kudos: 43





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> yes. tomarry Medieval AU. and don't be fool by tom. he's a good actor, after all. but his feelings for harry. Legit.

_How foolish_ , he thought.

Tom was leaning against the pillar, his arms were crossed as he watched the king sitting on his throne. The castle was enormous and majestic, above the king's throne lay a colorful stained-glass window of a lion roaring. A red persian rug covered the whole floor inside the great hall. Everything looked stunning for the king's taste.

"Tom!" King Dumbledore exclaimed.

Forcing a smile, he marched towards his king and bowed down. "Yes, your majesty?" There was something about bowing that made Tom loathe it.

Dumbledore shook his head. "No need for bowing, Tom. You fight my enemies, and for that I'm grateful."

Standing up, Tom adjusted his leather belt and tucked his tunic. As a knight, Tom usually wore heavy, black armor and a helmet, but since he was inside the castle he was casual: an olive-green tunic and cotton black pants with leather boots that reached his calves. The only two things that he kept with him at all times was his sword—it rested in a sheath beside his leather belt—and a locket that belonged to his deceased mother.

"Come and watch the show with me," Dumbledore grinned. "The new jester is very entertaining."

Tom raised his eyebrow. The jester was not entertaining. He had seen him in action and there was no laughter from Tom. The poor guy was clumsy and just pitiful to look at. They weren't laughing with him, no, they were laughing at him for being a dumbass.

"Maybe another time, your majesty. I need to make sure no intruders are lurking around." He excused himself. Tom had no time to watch a meaningless show. He was a high rank knight and needed to protect the king at all cost.

"Very well. You may go." Dumbledore sounded disappointed, but Tom learned he's always been one anyway.

Nodding, Tom left the great hall.

* * *

The following morning, Tom entered the great hall, and to his surprise he wasn't alone. The jester was there. Quite early.

"Why are you up so early, fool?" Tom asked.

"Oh scite!" The young man flinched as he spun around, then he grinned as he saw the him. "Sir Tom," the jester said fondly. "I just wanted to practice for today's show for the king."

Tom narrowed his eyes, not believing him. There had been traitors before that wanted the king's head. Tom had killed a maiden and a chamberlain upon finding out the truth. He eyed Harry up and down, suspiciously.

Harry wore a half-colored, long tunic: purple and black, black tights underneath and pointy purple shoes that made Tom want to laugh. He looked ridiculous. However, his hat was something else. His hood came with three horn-like points, at least there was no bells attached to the tips. But the one thing that Tom couldn't look away from was his round-rimmed glasses that were too big on him.

Clearing his throat, Tom said, "I believe you. Just don't look suspicious. Wouldn't want the king's fool to be beheaded?"

"Of course! And may I say, I have heard so many great things about you, Sir Tom." Then Harry grabbed his hand, almost prompting Tom to slice it off. But he didn't. "Ever since I laid my eyes on you... I've been enchanted." Harry abruptly kissed his hand with his soft lips.

Tom stood there frozen, caught off guard by Harry's brave gesture. No one had _ever_ done that to him.

"I may not be at your level but I will make sure you're loved just as much," Harry declared, giving his hand a firm squeeze. "Can this fool have a chance to win your heart, Sir Tom?"

Not knowing what to do with Harry's confession, Tom pulled his hand back and calmly said, "I need to check the gates." It took all his willpower to not run out of there, instead he strode out with elegance. Purposely ignoring Harry's voice to come back.

As he left the great hall, Tom rested against the wall in the hallway. His heart was thumping wildly and his breathing just wouldn't stop. Oh lord. He placed his hand over his heart to try to calm it down. Tom was supposed to be an emotionless knight. Love wasn't in his system. He took an oath to protect the king, and not to fall in love with anyone other than his duties.

But, by gods... No one had ever made a heartwarming impression like Harry had done. Tom raised his hand—the one Harry kissed—and closed his eyes as he clenched his hand.

Under any circumstances, Tom could not fall in love.

Not when he had other plans to take care of.

* * *

Harry tried his best to get near the beautiful knight. Tom, however, made it damn near impossible. As soon as Harry would approach him, Tom would leave the hall without looking back. It devastated him.

He had heard rumors about a fierce knight who fought in battles and won without a scratch on him. Harry desperately wanted to meet—no, see— the cruel man that would kill without hesitation in order to protect the kingdom. One day Harry had witnessed a handsome man walking alongside the king, a weapon hanging on his belt. If it wasn't for the armor, Harry would've sworn the man was royalty.

Instantly, Harry fell in love with him, not caring who it was. Although it changed when Dumbledore had said, "Impressive fighting skills, Tom. With you by my side this kingdom will survive." Harry knew automatically that it was the fierce knight everyone had been talking about. And yet, there was nothing vile about _this_ man. Tom had been smiling and a small blush appeared on his cheeks upon hearing the king's praise, but it seemed off.

Right there and then, Harry would do whatever it took to have Tom's heart. Even though no one could ever love a fool. It didn't stop Harry from trying, especially now that he met Tom yesterday.

Harry would win his heart and worship him.

" _Fool_! Quit standing there and head to the great hall," his best friend, Ron, said.

He rolled his eyes and grumbled, "Why do you call me fool, _servant_?" He wore a smirk as he watched Ron huff. Two could play this game.

"Fine! _Harry_. There, you happy." Ron let out a scoff, then a smile formed on his face as Harry burst into laughter.

"I love our talks. Never change, Ron." Harry patted his shoulder, only to have Ron smack it away. Ron had been his childhood friend, who was loyal and a jackass at the same time. When both had a chance to work together in the castle they took the opportunity.

"How's your love going with the knight?" Ron asked, scoffing. When he heard that Harry was in love with the king's loyal knight, Ron had laughed all day and even faked a tear upon listening to Harry's confession. Why did Harry always for dangerous men?

Harry sighed. "Not so well. Tom won't get near me without running away..." He tucked his shirt so he wouldn't have to look at Ron's annoyed expression. "I know what you're going to say, that I'm a clay-brained, right?"

"Maybe." Ron polished a silver vase and then grinned at his reflection. Once he finished he narrowed his eyes towards Harry, then said, "What if he's not into you? What if Tom is not a _sod_?"

Shaking his head, Harry answered, "I thought about that. He doesn't interact with anyone. No men or women. I don't think he has ever been truly in love. The only times I see him happy is with snakes—"

"I'm sorry—Did you say snakes?"

"Yes, snakes. Pay attention!" Harry went on. "He also wears a shiny green locket that he holds dearly. Sometimes he talks to it."

"I think that's a problem—"

Harry ignored him. "So those are the only moments I see his expressions genuine."

"But I saw him smiling this morning with King Dumbledore," Ron interjected.

"Those are fake. Tom forces himself to smile. I noticed that." Harry often wondered if Tom even liked the king. He really hoped that those faux smiles weren't ever directed towards him. It'd hurt Harry.

"You're so deep in this... I don't see what you see in him? Not that I'm a sod."

"Sometimes it makes me wonder if you're against _them_ or you just don't like the idea of me being in love," he countered, narrowing his eyes, with lips pressed in a thin line.

"Harry! I have no problem with you being a sod," Ron reflected, offended that his best friend would even think of such a thing. "I just don't want your heart to get broken, okay?"

Harry deflated instantly. "I'm sorry, Ron. I just meet people who don't think like you do. You have never had a problem with it when I told you at young age." He would never admit it but his first crush was Ron. However, Harry's feelings for him changed over time because he started to see Ron as a brother, someone who was with him every step of the way.

"I know. Remember when I punched that boy who caught you staring at him?" Ron fondly smiled at the memory.

"Good heavens—Yes! Draco? That ingrate wanted to beat me to a bloody pulp." Harry was sixteen when he started to watch other boys, the way their body was developing into muscles.

"I saved your ass and gave him a bloody nose for calling you..." Ron trail off, just thinking about that made his blood boil with disgust. "...you know."

Harry wrapped an arm around his shoulder and in a girly tone he said, "What would I ever do without you? My _hero_." The tension shifted into a comfortable one, much to Ron's relief.

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah." He flushed as he pried Harry's arm off. It was bad enough he had six siblings who hugged him on daily basis; he didn't need another person to do it. "Get going now! The king wants to be entertained!" Ron pushed him down the hall and all the way into the great hall. "Off you go!"

All Ron could hear was his laughter, and it was amusing. Although, deep down he prayed that Harry didn't get hurt by Tom... he had seen how reality could be in the palace. And it wasn't pretty.

* * *

Tom watched Harry's performance from afar. He was juggling three apples before offering one to the king as he finished. Harry smiled, showing a hint of pearly whites that made Tom feel queasy in the inside.

The audience all clapped, especially the king.

Harry took a bow before departing. Tom let out a sigh and got out of his hiding spot. He didn't want to be an asshole but it was the only way to avoid what he was feeling.

Suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder from behind. Turning around, Tom's eyes widened when he saw that Harry standing in front of him. When did he get there?

"Sir Tom! I'm so happy to finally see you," Harry said. "May I offer you this apple? They're delicious." He held the apple towards Tom.

"No thank you. I'm not hungry," Tom replied, voice extremely steady. "I must go now—"

"Have I done something to offend you, Sir Tom?" Harry frowned as his hand lowered. "I know you must see me as a peasant... someone who's isn't worth your time. But this fool is indeed a fool because I want to make you fall in love with me."

"Fool—"

"Harry," he corrected.

Nodding. Tom decided to just tell Harry the truth, there was no point in lying. It was no good for a knight to fall in love. Some even had considered it forbidden. "Harry, I don't have time for love. My main priority is to protect the king and his kingdom." _For now_ , he thought bitterly.

Harry deflated, his gaze lowered to the ground. "I see... Well, it's probably for the best. A knight such as yourself would never go for a man like me." Tom must have been trying to let him down easy. Harry gulped, then said, "We could merely be friends..."

"Harry—"

"Just get to know each other! There doesn't have to be anything between us—Talking is fine," Harry began to ramble, grasping the apple so tightly that bits of juice came dripping onto his fingers.

Tom paused. Seeing Harry with puppy dog eyes and trembling lips made Tom sigh in defeat. "Maybe being friends wouldn't be a bad thing..." And it could be an advantage to Tom in the future.

With wide eyes, Harry stared at Tom with a hopeful expression. "You mean it?" It was not what he wanted but it was a start. He could slowly win Tom's heart secretly, without the knight even knowing, starting with small gestures that would surely melt his hard defenses.

"Yes." Tom's lips twitched. The jester didn't look good with a frown; it hurt Tom to see him heartbroken for a strange reason. There was nothing wrong with being friends. As longest they didn't get involved with each other everything would be okay. Right?

"Thank you, Sir Tom. Here—Erm." He offered the damaged apple to Tom, only to grimace— "Sorry. I meant this apple." The second apple was in his tunic's pocket. Harry cleaned his sticky hand on his tights and then pulled the apple out. "For you, my knight."

Harry did it again. His endearing words were enough to almost make Tom blush. Shakily, he took the apple, and both their hands accidentally brushed. Tom kept a straight face as he said, "Thank you," then pulled away.

Tom was doomed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this sounds off. this is my old works from another fandom and tried to fix it and add stuff into it. I've improved since then and my writing style has changed, so forgive me for this work cause it's different.

It took Harry an hour to find Tom. He was not inside the castle, but outside polishing his sword on the bench. "Hello, Tom." Harry smiled. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

Tom stopped his movements as he gazed towards the sky. He could see small clouds roaming around, every now and then covering the sun to give a cloudy look. Tom hadn't even been paying attention to the sky.

"Yes. It is a lovely day." Tom's head lolled down as he continued wiping his weapon. Harry scratched the back of his head. It was obvious that Tom wasn't in the mood for a conversation since he was busy sharpening his blade.

"I'll leave you to that then..." Harry let out a small sigh. He spun around and began to walk away. Harry was only six feet away before Tom called him.

"Harry?"

"Yeah?" Harry asked in a hopeful tone.

"You can sit beside me. I don't mind." Tom didn't spare him a glance.

"O-Okay." Harry refrained himself from smiling like a fool. As he sat a foot away from Tom, Harry watched him in awe. The sunlight was hitting Tom perfectly and he seemed elegant with the way he was treating his sword with: gentle and love.

"Nice sword," Harry said lamely. He berated himself with the way it sounded— Really? Nice sword? Good one, Harry. "I-I mean—You look glorious holding that."

Tom paused, then stared at Harry in bewilderment. "Thank you?"

Harry nodded, his cheeks reddening— and it wasn't because of the sun—but with embarrassment. Tom decided to spare him. "This sword was given to me by the king when I earned my title as a knight. It's my most prized possession." Tom raised his sword to admire it. The silver blade shined, along with a small green gem embedded in the pommel, in the sunlight. It wasn't simple, but rather, custom made to be unique. A snake symbol was in the middle of the blade.

"Wow. You must have had it for a long time," Harry wondered. As he eyed the sword's grip, Harry noticed that it was engraved with Tom's last name. _Riddle_. So that was his last name? It had a nice ring to it.

"Not exactly. But it was meant to be mine," Tom stated, "therefore, I always carry it with me wherever I go. I don't like the thought of leaving it behind anywhere."

"Why not?" Harry shifted his gaze back onto Tom. He didn't understand. "And what do you mean that it was meant to be yours?"

Tom gripped onto the sword's hilt. "This sword belonged to my family. It was stolen from them." His eyes narrowed at the castle for a moment before he shook his head, going back to normal.

Harry listened carefully with a frown. "Are you implying that King Dumbledore stole it from them?" It didn't make sense. "He wouldn't do such a thing. He's kind and noble."

Tom's expression went blank. Then he put away his sword and clutched onto his locket. "If only you knew the truth," he muttered.

"So tell me. I'll listen."

He snorted. "I highly doubt it."

Harry shook his head as he said, "Believe me, Sir Tom—"

"Tom," he corrected. Honestly, it irritated that Harry kept saying _sir_ because he was no different from Harry. Tom worked inside the palace just like him, regardless if their jobs were a bit different.

"What?"

"You don't have to say 'sir' to me, Harry. It sounds too formal and that's not what this is. We both work for the _king_." Tom snarled.

"I never wanted to be disrespectful so I—" Harry stammered as he looked down and watched the grass. "I apologize, Sir Tom—Uh, Tom." Harry quickly amended. Everything was going wrong. He was upsetting him.

Tom mentally cursed himself. He couldn't risk scaring Harry away. "No trouble at all," and then he smiled for a good measure. "How old are you, Harry?" Tom asked to change the tense atmosphere.

"Twenty three. You?" A smile reached his face as he chatted with Tom; also because Tom was asking questions about him. It warmed his heart.

"I'm twenty five." Tom huffed. "One day I'm going to become immortal," he joked, even though he was being completely honest. He still wasn't done with his research. Tom needed more time for everything to fall into place.

"Careful, Tom. If the King hears you talk like that he's going to think you're involved in dark magic." His smiled faded and turned into concern. "Remember. Dark magic is forbidden in this kingdom."

"Believe me, I know. But don't worry. I was merely joking."

"Good. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you!"

Tom's heart did a weird flip, not to mention a lump formed in his throat.

What had he done to the gods for him to be in this situation? Nevertheless, he was blessed.

* * *

The jester and knight hanged out together and to both of their surprise they had a lot of things in common. Both loved nature and resting on the soft grass outside the castle, catching the sun on their faces. Harry had never been more in love with Tom.

His black hair looked lighter when he was in direct sunlight. He caught a sight of his biceps and toned chest when he put on his armor to practice sword fighting with new guards. And every time he laughed... God. it was like music to Harry's ears.

Harry had found ways to make Tom flush. Offering his assistance to him, giving him some desert, and telling Tom poetry. Every now and then, Harry would purposely touch him just to see a reaction. The result was priceless every time.

They bonded after a month. Harry was careful into not scaring Tom like the first time he met him. They were really doing process and Harry didn't want to screw up. It took another month until Harry began to hug and touch Tom. Harry was beaming when Tom didn't push him away, in fact, he returned it with a blush forming on his cheeks.

It would only be in a matter of time before Tom would see Harry as someone he could love.

* * *

The palace was having a visitor coming by, Voldemort the Dark Lord, another king. Dumbledore had heard of Voldemort, but never fully had the chance to introduce himself. Honestly, he was hesitating having Voldemort come to his kingdom.

He had rumors of him being into dark magic. There were also cruel rumors about his territory. Blood was shed twice as much compared to Dumbledore's kingdom, by soldiers known as Death Eaters. However, Dumbledore had no choice if he wanted to do a truce with Voldemort.

"Are you sure it's wise to have the Dark Lord here, majesty?" Tom questioned. "I heard he's a sorcerer."

"And a powerful one perhaps. I don't like the idea either. But I prefer having a truce to stop all this violence once and for all," Dumbledore said. He was by the window, watching guards and his people walking around the courtyard. "It's for them," he declared.

"I'll double the guards. When will he be arriving?" Deep down Tom was eager for Voldemort's arrival.

"Two mornings from now." Dumbledore turned around and gave a grimace smile. "Have the maids and servants decorate the castle for our guest. Tell the jester to put a very entertaining show for us."

Tom mentally grinned upon hearing the word _jester_. An image of Harry smiling appeared in his mind— Tom shook his head as Dumbledore continued talking; he couldn't be distracted.

"Hopefully Voldemort will agree with me for stopping this madness."

Tom nodded.

As he exited Dumbledore's chamber, he headed to the great hall and called out, "Hermione!"

A bushy haired woman popped into the room. "Yes, Sir Tom?" Hermione was the staff leader and in charge of giving out orders to workers inside the castle. Tom had seen her around, but never had a chance to talk to her due to his busy work. But he had seen her and Harry converse when he wasn't talking to him or Ron.

"Tell the staff to decorate the halls and the cook to prepare a delicious meal two days from now. We're having a _special_ guest," Tom forced the last part out.

"Right away," she replied, doing a small bow before leaving the great hall.

Now he needed to find Harry and tell him.

Walking alongside the courtyard, Tom found Harry talking to Ron. He shook his head. Tom could never understand why he would talk to someone like him. The ginger was loud and arrogant; it made Tom want to stab him on a few occasions. Every conversation he had with Ron ended in arguments. Harry would be the one to put a stop to them. He had tried to play friendly—but it seemed like Ron knew what kind of person he really was.

"Harry," he said loudly.

Turning around, Harry waved and said, "Tom, hey!" Ron narrowed his eyes at him, he gave a few words to Harry, then departed. Of course. Harry frowned as he watched Ron walk away the opposite direction.

"I wish you guys would get along." Harry sighed. "It's kinda hard to talk to both of you if you guys are far apart from each other."

Tom shrugged. "He's the one to start everything. I don't even know why you're friends with him. He's useless."

Tom had a few friends in the castle, one of them being Luna. She was the steward and often did errands for the king outside the palace. Luna had mentioned that Ron often got distracted with Hermione around. Pathetic.

"He's my _friend_ ," Harry amended in a firm tone. "I have known him all my life, Tom. Whenever I feel left out or homesick... I talk to Ron. He's not so bad once you get to know—" Tom scoffed, causing Harry to rephrase his words, "—Okay, he's not half bad. Just give him a chance. It hurts me to see you guys fighting like ingrates."

"Fine," Tom murmured. If Ron was important to Harry— no idea how— then why not?

"Thank you." Harry's lips lifted upwards. "So what else did you need? You never fully look for me unless the king needs something." It was true. Harry would be the one to look for him, heck, Harry even had to wander the castle every now and then to find Tom. Sometimes Tom just couldn't be found.

Tom momentarily forgot the reason he sought Harry out, before he remembered and composed himself. "Yes. We're having another king from another kingdom come over. King Dumbledore wants you to put a great show for the newcomer."

"Really? Who? Scamander?" Dumbledore and Scamander were good friends and would come twice a year to visit. Surely it would be him—

"No." Or not.

"Grindelwald?"

"No."

"Umm—"

"Voldemort," Tom interrupted his guessing, otherwise they would have been doing it all day.

Harry gaped in horror. "No! As in _The Dark Lord_?" When Tom nodded, Harry grimaced. "He's insane. That guy deserves to be thrown into a pit or be eaten by lions for what he has done to us," Harry spat. He wasn't aware that he was shouting until Tom told him to calm down, while looking around.

"Tone it down a bit. No one knows he's coming yet. If I had told them who it was—they would be doing what you're doing." Voldemort was hated in their kingdom, however there was more fear than hatred.

Harry sighed. "Sorry. I just can't believe that the king agreed to this."

"I know. But a truce needs to form between them. Can you be strong for us?" He placed his hand on Harry's nape and massaged it. Tom could feel knots and tension in his muscles. "I know you could do it." Tom needed to reassure Harry.

He weakly smiled, "Yeah. I can do that," then discreetly leaned into Tom's touch.

**Author's Note:**

> Sod= Homosexual  
> Scite= Shit  
> Ingrate= Asshole  
> Wrench= Whore  
> Swine= Pig  
> Churl= Worthless thing  
> Coot= Crazy guy


End file.
